While some consumers prefer to wash their dishes by submerging them into diluted liquid detergent compositions, many consumers prefer to apply the neat liquid detergent composition to the dish directly, or via an implement such as a sponge. Direct application provides improved grease cleaning, since a greater concentration of surfactant is applied directly to the stain. For direct application methods, consumers desire long lasting grease cleaning and long lasting sudsing. Previously, such “mileage” was extended by increasing the surfactant level. However, while increasing the surfactant level indeed improves the sudsing profile for the diluted liquid detergent composition, the higher surfactant level leads to poorer initial sudsing during direct application dishwashing. In addition, such liquid detergent compositions have a less desired thick, viscous appearance.
Therefore, a need remains for a method for hand washing dishes by direct application of an easily pourable liquid detergent composition, which results in great grease cleaning, excellent initial sudsing and long-lasting suds.
It has surprisingly been found that liquid hand dishwashing detergent compositions comprising even small amounts of a branched alkoxylated nonionic surfactant provide excellent, long-lasting suds, as well as excellent grease cleaning, when used in direct application methods, while being easily pourable.
WO 9533025, U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,888, and US 2005/0170990 A1 disclose methods for hand washing dishes, including the step of contacting the dishes with the liquid detergent composition in undiluted form. US 2007/0123447 A1, WO 2006/041740 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,181 disclose dish washing compositions comprising branched surfactants.